The Blackstone

I visited the Restaurant on a Saturday evening as part of a group of 8 for a birthday celebration meal. We hadn't been for about 2 years or more. The interior has been revamped from our previous visit. There are fewer seats and it seemed a bit less busy than before. The menu was a bit smaller also, though all felt it adequate, except a member of our party who is coeliac. She felt there was a fair bit less choice for her dietary needs particularly in starters. When our food came it was beautiful and well cooked. I had crispy chilli beef which was served with a lime wedge. The only drawback here was if you applied the ample lime juice as I did, the crispy texture was lost and it became soggy chilli beef... Lesson learned! My main of grilled whole fillet of plaice was a very tasty bit of fish in a nice butter sauce. Other mains all looked good - nicely cooked and presented. We had some very refreshing Sauvignon blanc with this and some guys had beers. Most finished after 2 courses, but a few had dessert and some coffees including our coeliac who had said she couldn't find a starter that appealed. She declared her dessert a successful choice and we all went home happy. The bill including tip came to £35 odds each. The manager here has occupied the role for a long time and it was nice to see her again as she is very competent. Some of the young waiting staff were not quite as present when we needed things as they might have been...